Photographers Biography – Edward Colver

Born June 17, 1949, in Pomona CA., Edward Curtiss Colver (a third-generation Southern Californian) was named after his 12-times removed great-grandfather, who arrived in the U.S. from Cornwall England in 1635. Edward’s father, Charles, was a forest ranger for 43 years in charge of a 17,000 acre experimental forest. Upon his retirement, Charles was presented with the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Award by President George H. W. Bush at the White House. The tallest peak southwest of Mount San Antonio aka Mount Baldy, was named after Charles (Colver Peak) .

Edward is essentially a self taught photographer; his brief formal training occurred during night classes at UCLA, where he studied beginning photography with Eileen Cowin. Largely influenced by Dada and Surrealism, Edward was most impressed in his early years by the art of Southern Californian native Edward Kienholz. In the late 1960′s, Edward’s perspective on life and art was changed by his exposure to composers such as Edgar Varese, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Krzysztof Penderecki, and John Cage.

Three months after he began taking photographs, Edward had his first photo published: an image of performance artist Johanna Went, featured in Bam magazine. Since then he has shot photos for dozens of record labels including EMI, Capitol, and Geffen. His punk pictures have been featured on more than 250 album covers and include some of the most recognizable and iconic covers of the late 20th century. His work as a rock photographer is well documented in the film American Hardcore.

With the launch of this website, Edward has officially entered the punk fashion world with his line of punk and gothic t-shirts:

Edward has been doing photography for 33 years, has never advertised, he does not solicit work and his phone number has always been unpublished.
Colver has not watched TV since 1979. He lives with his wife Karin Swinney in a 1911 Craftsman House in Los Angeles.